Since its founding in 1994, the HNA has
concentrated on providing environmental education programs to area schools
and in operating the HNA Summer Camp. Both of these endeavors have been
extremely successful. Since 2000, the HNA has been busy overseeing and
improving winter management of the trail network for cross country skiing
and snowshoeing. During the Summer and Fall the HNA has maintained over 15
miles of trails on 700 acres of land for walking, hiking and nature study.
We have also helped landowners with the development of stewardship
management plans that focus on wildlife habitat enhancements. Members have
been very supportive of the Associationís work in these areas.

The HNA has realized for sometime that the
Association should become more involved in conservation. The Board of
Directors discussed at their Spring 2002 meeting the creation of a
conservation strategy that would focus on the protection of the
recreational trails that are maintained by the Association.

The Hazen's Notch Association is very grateful to all
of its cooperating landowners for generously allowing the public use of
the trails on their properties.

The HNA Board of Directors feels that the HNA should
initiate a formal program to encourage landowners to take steps to ensure
trail access in the future. This trail protection could take the form of
recreational trail easements or broader conservation easements. In cases
where significant natural, wildlife, scenic and recreational resource
values are present on one property, the HNA should seek to acquire land in
fee for the full protection of the property. This protection would ideally come from donations of land or easements. If necessary, the HNA should raise funds to acquire land or easements through purchase.

At their October 2002 meeting the
Board of Directors approved the following motions:

1. The Board of Directors authorizes the Hazen's Notch Association
to acquire, receive and own land in accordance with the association's
"Purposes of the Corporation" as detailed in its Articles of Association
(reprinted here below).

2. The board of Directors authorizes the creation of a Land
Protection Fund for the acquisition of land and easements and expenses
relating to those acquisitions.

The HNA launched its campaign for contributions to
the Land Protection Fund with its end-of-year mailing to members and
donors in November 2002. The HNA seeks contributions to the Land
Protection Fund from individuals, businesses, private foundations,
municipalities, and state and federal grants programs.

If you would like to contribute to the HNA Land Protection Fund, please send your
contribution in any amount to:

Hazen's Notch Association, P.O. Box 478, Montgomery Center,
VT 05471.

Thank you!

From the HNA Articles of Association:

Purposes of Corporation

The
corporation shall be operated exclusively for educational and charitable
purposes within the meaning of section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue
Code.

The purposes of the corporation shall be
to:

I. Promote an understanding and appreciation
of nature and human interrelationships with the environment by offering
educational programs for all ages in the natural sciences, ecology, and
the conservation of natural resources. Educational programs may include
outdoor recreational components; however, recreational skills training
should not be the primary goal of educational
programs.

II. Promote non-motorized recreational
opportunities for the public on both public and private lands; build and
maintain a network of trails for uses such as walking, hiking,
cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing, encourage the conveyance of public
access easements, hold and monitor recreational trail
easements.

III. Promote the conservation of open
land in northern Vermont, primarily in the Hazenís Notch
area.

IV. Promote the wise stewardship of natural
and historic resources by using and encouraging private landowners to use
conservation-based land management practices that emphasize the protection
of wildlife habitat, soil and water quality, wetlands and riparian zones,
bilogical diversity, and historic cultural landscape
features.

V. Promote and engage in research in the
natural sciences, ecology, conservation and environmental
education.

VI. Cooperate with and support the
activities of governmental, charitable and other private and public
institutions with similar purposes.